Chrysanthemum
by VanillaMostly
Summary: -PeinKonan- Konan and Nagato deal with Yahiko's death... ONESHOT


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Chrysanthemum

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"Konan. Go to sleep."

_"Guys, what're you doing!" Konan yelled. "It's time to go to sleep, stop fighting!"_

_Yahiko shook his head at Nagato._

_"Oh mom, stop nagging!" said Yahiko. Which earned him a whack on the head._

_"Fine, do what you want," huffed Konan. She turned and smiled wickedly. "But I guess that means you don't want breakfast tomorrow morning! And I was going to make tamagoyaki too..."_

_"Whaaat? Ok I'm going to bed going to bed! C'mon Nagato!" Yahiko slung an arm around Nagato's shoulder and started to run, causing Nagato to half-choke and laugh. Konan watched them go with a roll of her eyes. Boys... _

_Yahiko suddenly stopped and turned around. "Hey mom! You better go to sleep too if you don't wanna get wrinkles!"_

_Konan ran after them, brandishing her kunai and a shoe..._

"Konan."

The hand on her shoulder jerked her back to reality. "O-oh. Nagato..."

Without her realizing, her cheeks were wet. She wiped them hastily with the back of her hands, but the way Nagato swallowed and quickly moved his hand away told her he already saw her tears.

"It's late. Come on... we have to wake up early tomorrow. There's---"

He stopped, but he didn't have to say it. Konan already knew. It was obvious, after all... after Yahiko died Nagato would become the new leader of the gang, and judging by what happened earlier he was definitely strong enough. And tomorrow the gang would go on to fight...

"I don't want to," said Konan, staring at her feet. She didn't even know what she was referring to, sleeping or fighting.

ButNagato seemed to understand. He didn't say anything. The two of them just sat there, watching the heavy rain fall.

"Where are we going to bury him?" whispered Konan.

Nagato hesistated. "Yahiko's... body?"

"Yeah," said Konan, silently thankful he didn't say _corpse_. Whenever she closed her eyes for even the briefest moment she saw nothing but the _scene_ re-happening. The knife... the blood... No, no, don't think about it. "May- maybe the little hill? Remember, he loved that place... When Jiraiya-sensei was here he took us---"

Thinking about Jiraiya-sensei made her want to cry again. All the people close to her seemed to like leaving... her brother, mother, father, Jiraiya, and now Yahiko...

_And whose fault is that,_ said the tiny voice in the back of her head. It felt like a thousand knives just stabbed her in the heart.

Maybe everyone else leaving her was out of her control... but this, Yahiko's death, was because of her. She was too weak. Too scared. She could have bit her tongue and killed herself when Danzo held her hostage... then Yahiko and Nagato wouldn't have had to save her. The truth was she had thought of that. But she was too scared and hestitated to do it... and of course, while she was busy working up the guts, Yahiko had already gone and rushed headlong into the death _she_ was too afraid of.

_"Yahiko, you scaredy-cat!" Konan laughed. "Acting so tough all the time, but look at you now!"_

_"S-shut up!" scowled Yahiko. Thunder boomed again and he curled into a tighter ball. "It... it reminds me of that night they killed my mom and dad."_

_Konan stopped laughing. "Oh..." She paused for a moment and sighed. "Ok. Move over."_

_"Eh--?! There's no room!"_

_Ignoring him, Konan squeezed into the space. "Hey, the thunder does sound less scary from here."_

_"Get outta here, I don't need you!"_

_"Liar!" giggled Konan. "You're still shaking, scaredy-cat. Ow! Don't pinch me!"_

"Actually," said Nagato suddenly into the silence, jerking Konan back to reality once again. "I'm not going to bury him."

Shaking off the memories (why did they keep coming back?) it took a moment for the words to sink in. "What... you mean, you want me to bury him?"

"No. I mean..." Nagato bit his lip, seeming troubled. He turned and looked Konan straight in the eye. "I can resurrect him."

菊

When Nagato saw Konan's eyes brighten with hope, he felt happy and hurt at the same time.

He was happy that Konan had finally lost the glazed look she'd been wearing for the past six hours... but hurt because he knew the reason why she looked so hopeful.

Nagato knew that Konan and Yahiko had known each other first... that they knew each other longer and were very close. But after he entered their group, they had always treated him the same way they treated each other. He never felt like a third wheel at all... the three of them were best friends, like brothers and sisters.

But when he saw Konan's expression at hearing his words, he knew that he would forever be second to Yahiko in her heart.

The hurt deepened when he explained to Konan about his plan and watched the hopeful expression change into disappointment.

Because Konan knew now, as well, that Nagato couldn't truly bring Yahiko back to life. He could bring the body back, but not the person inside it.

"Yahiko's really gone, isn't he..." said Konan softly. Then she put her head down on her knees and cried, shoulders shaking.

Nagato closed his eyes. It was funny... tears refused to come even though he was completely numb with pain...

菊

"Nagato, Nagato. Wake up."

Rubbing his eyes, Nagato sat up. The first thing he thought was that something was different... As if reading his mind, Konan pointed outside.

"The rain! It stopped."

She was right. The steady downpour had actually stopped. The sky was still cloudy, and he knew without a doubt that it was only a matter of minutes before the rain started drizzling again. But the fact that the rain had stopped, even if temporarily, amazed Nagato. He couldn't even remember the last time it had done so.

Suddenly Nagato noticed what else was different. Konan was smiling.

"Konan! Y-you... are you feeling better?" said Nagato hesitantly, not wanting to offend her with his surprise that she actually looked like she was... okay.

"I'm fine," replied Konan, turning to him. Her smile wasn't big but it was still there, and even though her eyes were still red and puffy, she looked peaceful. "I really think so. It's just... I had a nice dream."

Nagato nodded. He tipped back his head and looked at the quiet, dry world outside. For some reason the numbness from yesterday had disappeared, and his head no longer hurt. Maybe it was because it was morning. Or because it had stopped raining. Or maybe, it was because he had a nice dream too.

"Hey, Nagato?"

"Yeah?"

"About what you said yesterday... I'm ok with it."

"You are?"

"Yeah." She picked up a piece of paper on the floor and began to fold it. "If that's what you want to do, then I'll help you. Yahiko believed in you and I will too."

Nagato watched her fingers work on the origami, moving swiftly.

_"What're you making this time?" Nagato asked._

_"A thousand cranes," said Konan simply._

_"A thousand? You'd never finish!" exclaimed Nagato._

_"Please, Nagato, Yahiko has already made fun of me enough as it is!"_

_"Sorry," said Nagato. He watched her fold one crane after the other, using the large hoard of candy wrappers and junk papers she had gathered. "Why are you going through so much trouble to make them, Konan? We won't even have anywhere to put it."_

_"Haven't you heard of Senbazuru?" said Konan. "If you fold a thousand origami cranes, you'll get your wish granted."_

_"Wow! Are you going to wish for your family to be back?"_

_Konan looked up at him. "No... My family's gone. They wouldn't come back."_

_"Then..."_

_Konan smiled at her paper cranes. "You and Yahiko are my family now. I'm going to wish for us to stay together forever."_

"Done," said Konan, and held it up.

It was a paper chrysanthemum.

"Let's go pay our last respect, Nagato."

END


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